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South Florida Crime

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Two people have been arrested and charged in connection to the mauling death of a child in Goulds.

Four year old Javon Dade Jr. was attacked and killed by his father’s dog, or dogs, on Wednesday, August 13th, in the yard of his father’s home on SW 123rd Avenue about a block south of SW 228th Street.

On Friday Javon’s father, 30-year old Javon Dade, and his father’s girlfriend, 26-year old Alessandra Carrasco, were charged with child neglect in the boy’s death.

During their first court appearance, bond was set at $75,000 for Dade and $25,000 for Carrasco. The judge ordered Dade to stay away from Carrasco if he bonded out.

Javon Dade and Alessandra Carrasco (Source: Miami-Dade Corrections)

According to Dade’s arrest report, he picked up the boy from his mother’s residence around 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 12th, and then went to his home. After Javon Jr. fell asleep in a bedroom, his father and Carrasco “began smoking several marijuana cigarettes laced with cocaine,” according to the report. Carrasco then fell asleep.

The following morning Dade and Carrasco woke up about 9 a.m. and Javon Jr. was nowhere to be found. Police received a missing person call more than an hour later, and quickly found the child dead in the tall grass of the rented home’s sprawling back yard.

Police said while the front door to the home was locked, the rear sliding glass door was closed but unlocked.

Dade’s dogs; a pit bull, two pit bull mixes and three puppies were seized by the county’s Animal Services. The gray and white pit bull was euthanized because of his temperament. The five other dogs continue to be housed in a shelter.

Animal Services released the following statement, “The decision to euthanize was based solely on the animal’s temperament. What, if any involvement this dog had in the tragedy involving Javon Dade, Jr., has not yet been determined. The Animal Services Department continues to assist Miami-Dade Police and the State Attorney’s Office in their ongoing investigation.”

Javon Jr.’s grandmother, Jocelyn Dade, told CBS4 that Javon Sr. has three other children by different women, two sons and a daughter. Carrasco has a 6-year old who was at home when the attack happened.

Dade, in an exclusive interview with CBS4’s Natalia Zea, said both her son and his girlfriend have drug issues. One glance at her Facebook page shows clearly she loved her grandson.

“Oh Javon, my pooka. He was so sweet, so caring, so loving,” she said. “It hurts every time I think about him, see his toys and his clothes, places that he and I used to go together, it’s just hard, I keep seeing his face,” said Dade.

She said her son now will have to live with the consequences.

“I ask God everyday to give me strength,” said Jocelyn Dade. “I lost my grandson and now my son is going to face time. It’s very sad.”

Dade said the pit bull mixes grew up with her son but the pit bull, which was euthanized, was a new dog picked up from a neighbor. She added that her son feels completely responsible for Javon Jr.’s death.

Department of Children and Families records reveal that in March, 2011, the agency received a complaint from a neighbor when Javon, who was 6-months-old, was living with his mother, dad and siblings at the Malibou Bay Apartments. The caller expressed concern about the “smell,” the “feces,” and the “danger” of the dogs being in the home. The DCF report discusses an incident in the prior year when both the mother and father were bitten while breaking up a fight among the dogs.

“Two of the dogs are pit bulldogs,” the DCF report added. If the DCF investigator knew that it is illegal to keep pit bulls in Miami-Dade County, there is no mention of it, and no indication that animal services was informed of the situation.

The DCF probe concluded that Javon and his siblings were in a “moderate to high” risk environment, yet no action was taken to remove the children or the dogs. DCF investigators spoke with teachers, daycare workers and a doctor who said the children appeared healthy and well dressed.

In another of several hotline reports to DCF about Javon’s family, a caller said the boy’s father, Javon Dade, Sr., was seen “selling cocaine” out of the front door of the home. The caller said the father brandished a handgun as he argued with his alleged drug customers. DCF’s report noted the father’s extensive history of arrest, primarily for drug offenses. Javon Dade, Sr. has been charged at least a dozen times in his adult history, primarily with drug violations involving cocaine and marijuana. Among his seven convictions are also one for battery and one for resisting arrest.